Technology and the values of a liberal education

Abstract

Scholars in the humanities and social sciences have legitimate concerns about the impact of computer technology on their budgets, their time, and their institutions. The discipline of computer science, however, is extremely well suited to the values of a classical liberal education: students who study it become intimately acquainted with objectivity, critical thinking, and personal responsibility. As such, computer science and computer technology should be a welcome ally in the battle for the soul of America’s universities. In the long run, they inculcate values and intellectual habits that represent the best in American higher education.